Throwback – Dallas Cowboys

I could argue that the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers were America’s Team, not the Dallas Cowboys. More media exposure, more Superbowl wins, and more notorious antics. However, the 1978 Dallas Cowboys had a few things going for it: legendary coach Tom Landry, quarterback Roger Staubach, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Nothing says ‘merica like trailblazers, badass dudes with gigantic guns athletic prowess, and beautiful ladies in barely anything hot pants.

Tom Landry created the 4-3 defense in the 1950s. He literally changed how football was played from that time on. Coach Pete Carroll had the Superbowl winning Seattle Seahawks use 4-3 defense. Scouts rate potential players by how well coordinated a prospect is in a 3-4 or 4-3 defense. To this day I think Tom is the sharpest dressed coach in football. Something about that hat and that suit calls back to a bygone era.

Roger Staubach was the original mobile quarterback. Most quarterbacks during Staubach’s playing days just threw the ball, not run around and throw it. He was also credited to making the “Hail Mary pass” go beyond its football context during a playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings in 1975.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders pushed professional cheerleading to be less about acrobatics and more about dance. The women (not girls) had to be physically gifted, know their football, know their Dallas Cowboys’ history, and look amazing while dancing in short shorts. They became a big draw for live games, and developed a following that rivals the Cowboys. Not bad for athletes that are relegated to the sidelines.

There was a notable change in the shade of blue in the early 1990s. Current Nike uniforms use navy blue and silver in more uniform elements. America’s Team era Cowboys uniforms of the 1970s had a brighter blue. In addition the pant color is a pale powder blue instead of the sky blue or silver in current uniforms.

The uniform designs don’t seem to show their age for the Cowboys. There’s a design consistency that, while bland, is essentially timeless. You could take any uniform designed for the Cowboys and you could easily see it used in modern uniforms. The America’s Team uniforms of 1978 had a subtle nod to late 1970s graphic design. Look at the socks. See the three lines that gradually thinned out? Yes, graphic lines to show things like color gradients, sunsets, depth, or movement were everywhere in the late 1970s. I’m not sure if my eyeshadow look resembles dusk or a terribly cool toned wallpaper. In either case this is a Cowboys themed eye shadow play that doesn’t resort to drawing stars.